eulogy for the “university of the ghetto”

On the record the staff talk brightly of the new Idea Store which will replace both the Whitechapel and Stepney libraries from mid-September – the glossy leaflet boasts not only “more books, CDs and DVDs” and seven-day-a-week opening, but also that it “is located right in front of Sainsbury’s”.

Off the record they feel bereaved, despite struggling once its fate was sealed and maintenance virtually stopped: in a recent flood the usual buckets were clearly failing to cope.